System and method for electric vehicle charging and security

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a power source and a moveable charging arm coupled to the power source and comprising a charging plate for contact with an electric vehicle contact plate. The charging arm is operable to transmit direct current (DC) pulse power with testing performed between high voltage pulses directly from the charging plate to the electric vehicle contact plate to charge one or more batteries at the electric vehicle. A method for charging the electric vehicle is also disclosed herein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/003,745, filed Aug. 26, 2020, the contents of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to electric vehicles, and moreparticularly, to charging electric vehicles and security for anelectrical vehicle power and communications system.

BACKGROUND

Electric vehicle (EV) charging systems and security are both challengingproblems. Rapid, efficient, and safe charging is desired along withsecurity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of an electric vehicle charging station andelectric vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2A is another example of an electric vehicle charging station andelectric vehicle, in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates a charging circuit of the charging station andcharging contact plate on the electric vehicle of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a top partial view of the electric vehicle and charging plateson the electric vehicle in contact with charging arms of the chargingstation, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4A illustrates a three-phase charging contact plate for theelectric vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a top view of a plurality of individual charging arms matingwith the contact plate shown in FIG. 4A, in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a cleaning arm and charging arm of the chargingstation, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a plate comprising sensors for detecting wear of the plate,in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view illustrating electric vehicles that may be coupledtogether to provide inter-truck charging, in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 8 is an example of an electric vehicle based data center, inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram depicting an example of components that may beused within the electric vehicle or charging station to implement theembodiments described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a security system for electric vehicle components,in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of an electricvehicle charging device connected to a power system and communicationssystem at the electric vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating power distribution to powercomponents in the electric vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an overview of a process forcharging the electric vehicle at the charging station, in accordancewith one embodiment.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

In one embodiment, an apparatus generally comprises a power source and amoveable charging arm coupled to the power source and comprising acharging plate for contact with an electric vehicle contact plate. Thecharging arm is operable to transmit direct current (DC) pulse powerwith testing performed between high voltage pulses, directly from thecharging plate to the electric vehicle contact plate to charge one ormore batteries at the electric vehicle.

In another embodiment, an electric vehicle system generally comprises apower system for charging a battery installed in an electric vehicle anda contact plate for positioning on an exterior surface of the electricvehicle and transmitting power to the power system. The contact plate isconfigured for receiving pulse power comprising a plurality of highvoltage pulses with safety testing between the high voltage pulses,directly from a charging plate coupled to a charging arm at a chargingstation and transmitting the pulse power to the power system.

In yet another embodiment, a method generally comprises identifying anelectric vehicle in a charging station, automatically positioning acharging arm in contact with a contact plate on an exterior surface ofthe electric vehicle, verifying compatibility of a power system at theelectric vehicle with fault managed power, performing authenticationbetween the charging station and the electric vehicle, and charging abattery at the electric vehicle with the fault managed power.

Further understanding of the features and advantages of the embodimentsdescribed herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portionsof the specification and the attached drawings.

Example Embodiments

The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skillin the art to make and use the embodiments. Descriptions of specificembodiments and applications are provided only as examples, and variousmodifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thegeneral principles described herein may be applied to other applicationswithout departing from the scope of the embodiments. Thus, theembodiments are not to be limited to those shown, but are to be accordedthe widest scope consistent with the principles and features describedherein. For purpose of clarity, details relating to technical materialthat is known in the technical fields related to the embodiments havenot been described in detail.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging systems are often slow and lack securityneeded to prevent damage to the charging station or electric vehicle.Data collection for offload processing may also be desired duringcharging at speeds greater than available with Wi-Fi or cellular means.

The embodiments described herein provide electric vehicle charging,which may be combined with data communications and authentication toefficiently and effectively support an electric vehicle or electricvehicle based data center. As described below, power and data may beprovided through the use of Fault Managed Power (FMP).

The term “Fault Managed Power” (FMP) (also referred to as Extended SafePower (ESP)) as used herein refers to high-power (e.g., >100 W), highvoltage (e.g., >56V) operation with DC (direct current) pulse powerdelivered on one or more wires or wire pairs. As described below, powerand data is transmitted together (in-band) on at least one wire pair.FMP also includes fault detection (e.g., fault detection (safetytesting) at initialization and between high voltage pulses) and pulsesynchronization between power sourcing equipment (PSE) and a powereddevice (PD). The power may be transmitted with communications (e.g.,bi-directional communications) or without communications.

The term “pulse power” (also referred to as “pulsed power”) as usedherein refers to DC power that is delivered in a sequence of pulses(alternating low direct current voltage state and high direct currentvoltage state) in which the voltage varies between a very small voltage(e.g., close to 0V, 3V) during a pulse-off interval and a larger voltage(e.g., >12V, >24V) during a pulse-on interval. High voltage pulse power(e.g., >56 VDC, >60 VDC, >300 VDC, −108 VDC, −380 VDC) may betransmitted from power sourcing equipment to a powered device for use inpowering the powered device, as described, for example, in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/671,508 (“Initialization and Synchronization forPulse Power in a Network System”), filed Nov. 1, 2019, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Pulse powertransmission may be through cables, transmission lines, bus bars,backplanes, PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), and power distributionsystems, for example. It is to be understood that the power and voltagelevels described herein are only examples and other levels may be used.

As noted above, safety testing (fault sensing) may be performed througha low voltage safety check between high voltage pulses in the pulsepower system. Fault sensing may include, for example, line-to-line faultdetection with low voltage sensing of the cable or components andline-to-ground fault detection with midpoint grounding. The time betweenhigh voltage pulses may be used, for example, for line-to-lineresistance testing for faults and the pulse width may be proportional toDC (Direct Current) line-to-line voltage to provide touch-safe faultprotection. The testing (fault detection, fault protection, faultsensing, touch-safe protection) may comprise auto-negotiation betweenpower components. The high voltage DC pulse power may be used with apulse-to-pulse decision for touch-safe line-to-line fault interrogationbetween pulses for personal safety. For example, the high voltage pulsemay have a width corresponding to 0.5 ms (milliseconds) with a 1 msperiod at initialization, and an 8 ms high voltage pulse with a 12 msperiod during normal operation to limit exposure time and provide safeoperation.

In one or more embodiments, FMP (FMP/ESP) may comprise pulse powertransmitted in multiple phases in a multi-phase pulse power system withpulses offset from one another between wires or wire pairs to providecontinuous power. One or more embodiments may, for example, usemulti-phase pulse power to achieve less loss, with continuousuninterrupted power with overlapping phase pulses, as described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/380,954 (“Multiple Phase Pulse Power in aNetwork Communications System”), filed Apr. 10, 2019, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As described below, FMP may be converted into Power over Ethernet (PoE)and used to power electrical components within the electric vehicle. Inone or more embodiments, power may be supplied using Single PairEthernet (SPE) and may include data communications (e.g. 1-10 GE(Gigabit Ethernet)). The power system may be configured for PoE (e.g.,conventional PoE or PoE+ at a power level<100 watts (W), at a voltagelevel<57 volts (V), according to IEEE 802.3af, IEEE 802.3at, or IEEE802.3bt), Power over Fiber (PoF), advanced power over data, FMP, or anyother power over communications system in accordance with current orfuture standards, which may be used to pass electrical power along withdata to allow a single cable to provide both data connectivity andelectrical power to components (e.g., battery charging components,server data components, electric vehicle components).

Referring now to the drawings, and first to FIG. 1 , a drive-thrucharging station, generally indicated at 10, and electric vehicle 12 areshown in accordance with one embodiment. In this example, the electricvehicle 12 comprises a truck with a battery compartment 13 comprisingone or more batteries (not shown). As described below with respect toFIG. 8 , the electric vehicle 12 may be configured to operate in an EVdata center (mobile data center) and comprise any number of serverappliances in a server appliance rack 14 (servers and associated networkcomponents as described below). The charging station 10 is configured toprovide power or power and data communications over one or more chargingarms 15. The charging arm 15 may be coupled to a power (power and data)source 11 a over cable 17. The power source 11 a may receive utilitypower (e.g., 480 VAC (alternating current) or other suitable AC or DCpower (utility, solar, wind, etc.)) and convert the received power toFMP (DC pulse power with fault sensing) at power converter 11 b. In theexample shown in FIG. 1 , the charging arm 15 is configured fortransmitting three-phase pulse power (phases Ø1, Ø2, Ø3 and ground(GND)) FMP.

In one or more embodiments, the charging station (apparatus) 10comprises the power source 11 a and the moveable charging arm 15 coupledto the power source and comprising a charging plate for contact with anelectric vehicle contact plate 19. The charging arm is operable totransmit direct current (DC) pulse power with testing performed betweenhigh voltage pulses, directly from the charging plate to the electricvehicle contact plate to charge one or more batteries at the electricvehicle 12.

As previously described, FMP utilizes pulse power with testing betweenhigh voltage pulses to provide a safe high-power distribution system.FMP allows for the transfer of 380 VDC or other DC voltage between asource and destination using pulse power and evaluating safety betweenhigh voltage pulses. As shown in the simplified voltage trace 16 of FIG.4 , single-phase FMP comprises a plurality of voltage pulses (sequenceof voltage pulses) in which voltage varies between a small voltageduring a pulse-off time 18 a and a larger voltage during a pulse-on time(high voltage pulse) 18 b. The FMP may be transmitted as single-phasepulse power over a wire pair or as multi-phase pulse power over multiplewire pairs (e.g., three-phases 16 a, 16 b, 16 c) as shown schematicallyin FIG. 1 . The safety testing between high voltage pulses in the FMPsystem allows the power source 11 a to shut down automatically whenpower wires are exposed to an unintentional load such as from contactwith a person. This allows direct contact charging to be performedsafely between the charging plate at the charging arm 15 and the EVcontact plate 19.

As described below, the FMP based system may also support GE (GigabitEthernet) data transfer over a single twisted pair, for example. Thesystem provides for fast data analytic off-loading and moving of serverdata or other data intensive communications activity using 1 GE, 10 GE,or other speed communications over FMP wiring while the EV batteries arecharging.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the EV (truck) 12 comprises the charging plate 19coupled to an EV power system and mounted (e.g., removable mounted) onone or more sides of the truck for direct contact with one or morecharging arms 15 of the charging station. In this example, the chargingplate 19 comprise four contact plates 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 dcorresponding to the three phases of the multi-phase pulse power andground. It is to be understood that the three-phase pulse power shown inFIG. 1 is only an example, and the charging station 10 and EV 12 may beconfigured for single-phase or multi-phase (2, 3, 4, or more phases). Asdescribed below, the charging arm 15 (or arms) may be positioned forcontact with the contact plate 19 on one side of the EV 12 or both sidesof the EV.

The charging arms 15 may be automatically adjusted based on the locationof the contact plate 19 on the EV 12 or the size of the EV. For example,the EV 12 may communicate with the charging station to identify the typeof EV, size of EV, location of the contact plate, or any otherinformation for use by the charging station in positioning the chargingarm 15. In one or more embodiments, the charging station 10 may includea sensor 21 a for automatically positioning the charging arm 15 forcontact with the electric vehicle contact plate 19. For example, thesensor 21 a may be located on the charging arm 15 or other portion ofcharging station 10 for use in detecting the location of the contactplate 19 based on a corresponding switch 21 b on the contact plate 19 orother location on the electric vehicle 12. Various mechanisms may beused to properly position and align the charging arms 15 with respect tothe contact plate 19, including for example, a switch (magnetic switch,mechanical switch, optical switch) 21 b that may be used to identify thelocation of the contact plate 19 on the electric vehicle 12. In one ormore embodiments, a GPS (Global Positioning System) may be used toidentify the electric vehicle 12 approaching the charging station 10 andthe location of the charging plate 19 (e.g., height, number of chargingplates, position) may be transmitted by a communications device to thecharging station 10 by the electric vehicle 12 as it enters the chargingstation. The charging arm 15 may be operable to retract as the electricvehicle is entering or leaving the charging station and extend once theelectric vehicle is properly positioned. As described below, the arm 15may be forced into contact with the EV contact plate 19 through the useof one or more compressible members (e.g., springs). In the exampleshown in FIG. 1 , all equipment is located on one or both sides of theelectric vehicle 12, the charging arm 15 is positioned above ground, andthere are no magnetic or electrical fields generated for charging.Details of the charging arm 15 and contact plate 19 are described belowwith respect to FIGS. 3-6 .

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate another example of a charging system 24 forcharging electric vehicle 22, in accordance with another embodiment. Thecharging system 24 comprises a magnetic transformer with half of thetransformer 26 a extending from the ground and the other half of thetransformer 26 b located on the electric vehicle 22. As shown in FIG.2A, the electric vehicle 22 drives over the in-ground portion 26 a ofthe transformer and an automatic docking system may be used to align thetwo portions of the transformer. The example shown in FIG. 2B shows athree-phase transformer with the top half 26 b configured forinstallation in the electric vehicle 22 and the lower half 26 aconfigured for installation in the ground, as shown in FIG. 2A. Inanother example, one half of the transformer may be positioned on top ofthe electric vehicle with the other half of the transformer lowered ontothe contact point. While the electric vehicle is shown as a truck inFIGS. 1 and 2A, one or more embodiments described herein may beapplicable to other types of electric vehicles.

In addition to the contact charging arm described above with respect toFIG. 1 and the magnetic transformer described above with respect toFIGS. 2A and 2B, inductive charging may also be used (e.g., with contactat lower surface of truck as shown in FIG. 2A). Inductive charging,however, may present efficiency and size issues. Another chargingexample includes battery swap out, which may be automated. As describedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/983,853 (“Power Distribution andCommunications for Electric Vehicle”), filed Aug. 3, 2020, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a manual connection(plug and cable) may also be used for charging the electric vehicle.

As described below, the charging station may be operable to authenticatewith the electric vehicle. In one example, the electric vehicle maysubscribe to a service that allows it to use the charging station. Inone or more embodiments, the charging station may upload data to performanalytics with respect to battery usage and conditions or downloadprocessed information or other data to the electric vehicle while thevehicle is charging. In one or more embodiments, low frequencycommunications may be used for battery analytics or telemetry.

The following describes details of the charging arms 15 and electricvehicle contact plate 19 described above with respect to FIG. 1 , inaccordance with one or more embodiments. FIG. 3 is a top view of anelectric vehicle 32 comprising charging plates 33 positioned on oppositesides of the EV. The charging plates 33 may be configured with one ormore contact points (pads) for charging with single-phase or multi-phasepulse power. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the charging stationincludes at least two charging arms 34 positioned on opposite sides ofthe EV 32. The charging arm comprises a charging plate 35, which isconnected to the charging arm with one or more compressible springs 36and electrically coupled to one or more flexible cables 37 (or cablewith slack to allow for movement of the springs 37) for transmitting FMP(e.g., bi-directional FMP) between the charging station and electricvehicle. The wires transmitting FMP to the charging plate 35 may also becombined with the spring members 36, for example. The FMP received atcontact plate 33 is transmitted over one or more connection points 31electrically coupled to the EV power system (not shown).

The springs 36 allow for movement between a support member 39 and thecharging plate 35 to account for positioning tolerances and ensuredirect contact between the charging plate 35 and the contact plate 33.The support member 39 may also include an opening for the cable 37 toslide through as the springs are compressed, for example. As shown inthe example of FIG. 3 , the charging plate 35 and EV contact plate 33each have a convex outer surface to provide direct contact at thecharging contact area on each plate.

In one or more embodiments, the charging arm 34 may be moveable alongtwo or more axis (x-axis, y-axis shown in FIG. 3 ) to properly align thecharging plate 35 with the EV contact plate 33. In one example, theentire charging arm 34 may be initially positioned in the area of thecontact plate 33 using information from one or more sensors or switchesas previously described, and then moved towards the contact plate 33.The support member 39 may be operable to retract as the electric vehicle32 is entering or leaving the charging station and extend once theelectric vehicle is properly positioned. In another example, the springs36 may be positioned in a compressed (locked) position and automaticallyreleased when the electric vehicle 32 is in position in the chargingstation. The charging station may automatically send instructions to adriver of the EV or to an autonomous electric vehicle to assist inproperly positioning the electric vehicle 32 to align the contact plates33 with the charging arms 34.

FIG. 4A is a side view of a charging plate 40 comprising four contactpoints (areas) 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, 42 d, for three-phase DC pulse powercharging (phases Ø1, Ø2, Ø3 and ground (GND)). In one example, thecharging plate 40 is approximately 2 feet in height with a 4 inch×4 inchcontact pad. The plate 40 may be formed, for example, from a copperalloy or any other suitable material. In one example, the plate 40comprises a carbon plate with copper contact pads 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, 42d. Each pad 42 a, 42 b, 42 c, 42 d may be located on individual plates40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d that are attached to the electric vehicle withfasteners 48 for ease of removal and replacement.

FIG. 4B is a top view of four charging arms 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, 44 d, eachproviding a single-phase or ground connection at contact pads 42 a, 42b, 42 c, 42 c of the EV contact plate 40. As previously described, thecharging arm comprises a charging pad 45 coupled to the charging armwith one or more springs 46. The charging arms 44 a, 44 b, 44 c 44 d maybe coupled together as shown in FIG. 4B or operate independently fromone another. As shown in FIG. 4A, the charging plates 45 may bevertically offset from one another. It is to be understood that thearrangement shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is only an example and theconfiguration may be different than shown without departing from thescope of the embodiments. For example, a single charging arm may be usedto deliver multiple phases of pulse power.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an arm 50 comprising a cleaning arm with acleaning pad 55 a for cleaning the electric vehicle contact plate and acharging arm with charging plate 55 b for transmitting power to thecleaned contact plate, in accordance with one embodiment. The drivingdirection of the electrical vehicle is shown in FIG. 5 . As the EVenters the charging station, the contact plate is first exposed to thecleaning pad 55 a and as the EV moves forward, the clean contact plateis exposed to the charging plate 55 b. The arm 50 may also include asensor to determine if the contact plate has been sufficiently cleanedof debris to provide a suitable contact for charging. If the contactplate is too dirty to provide direct contact between the charging plate55 b and EV contact plate, the charging station may send a signal to theEV so that it can backup and the contact plate can once again be exposedto the cleaning pad 55 a before moving forward for charging.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the cleaning pad 55 a and charging plate 55 b maybe connected to the arm 50 with one or more springs 56, as previouslydescribed. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the charging and cleaningassemblies are coupled together. In another example, each arm mayoperate independently from one another. A cable 57 may provide FMP(power, power and data) to the charging plate 55 b. The cleaning pad 55a may include a plurality of brushes 59 operable to remove dirt ormoisture from the contact plate on the electric vehicle. In anotherexample, the brushes 59 comprise air brushes operable to spray air ontothe EV contact plate to clean the plate. Air may be received, forexample, from tube 58, which may be formed from a flexible orcompressible material. As previously noted, the entire charging arm 50may be operable to retract or extend or move along one or more axis.

Since the plates may be exposed to repeated sliding movement as thecharging plate comes into contact with the EV contact plate, the platesmay wear over time due to friction between the charging plate andcontact plate or repeated exposure to the brushes 59 of the cleaning pad55 a. FIG. 6 is an example of a plate 65 comprising sensors 68 that maybe used to indicate wear on the plate. If the plate 65 wears beyond aspecified thickness in an area of one or more of the sensors 68, anotification may be sent to the EV or charging station to indicate thatthe contact plate or charging plate is wearing thin and needs to bereplaced soon.

It is to be understood that the charging arms and contact plates shownin FIGS. 3-6 are only examples and different shapes, sizes, curvature,sensors, or alignment mechanisms may be used without departing from thescope of the embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a top view of three electric vehicles (e.g., EV trucks) 71,72, 73. Each of the trucks 71, 72, 73 comprises one or more chargingplates 75, which may be located on a front of the truck, rear of thetruck, or both front and rear. In this example, the three trucks aretraveling together and may share FMP resources and optimize resourcesfor environmental conditions. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , trucks 71and 72 are coupled together for inter-truck charging (power) and one ofthe trucks may provide power to the other truck through a bi-directionalFMP connection at the EV charging plate 75. The truck may provide powerwithout charging the batteries to help a truck low on power get to acharging station, for example. The third truck 73 may also couple withone of the other trucks as needed. In one or more embodiments,communications may be passed between the trucks, with one truckoperating as an engine and the other truck operating as a passenger.Acceleration and braking are provided by the vehicle operating as theengine.

In one example, the electric vehicle may be configured to operate in anelectric vehicle based data center, as described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/871,877 (“Method and Apparatus for ProvidingData Center Functions for Support of an Electric Vehicle Based DataCenter”), filed May 11, 2020, which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. Use of an electric vehicle based data center in placeof a conventional data center eliminates the cost of land, buildinginfrastructure, local and backup power, and wiring and cabling costs forfixed server racks.

An example of an electric vehicle (EV) based cloud data center 87, isshown in FIG. 8 in accordance with one embodiment. One or more servers(server blades) are located in an electric vehicle (truck 12, car 80)and interface with a cell tower 84 (e.g., 4G, 5G tower point) through anantenna 85. The server (or servers) and associated components (e.g.,router and wireless module) are referred to herein as a server appliance(or communications system) 86 and may be installed in any suitablelocation within the electric vehicle 80, 12. The truck 12 may comprise aplurality of server appliances in the server appliance rack 14.

The server appliance 86 is contained within a housing, which may be anyshape suitable to fit within available space in the EV, preferablywithout significant impact to operating features of the electric vehicle(e.g., trunk space, vehicle weight). The server appliance or serverappliance rack in a truck is preferably configured for ease ofinstallment, modification (e.g., changing number of servers or serverappliances based on space availability), or server maintenance orupgrade. The housing may be configured for receiving cooling air throughan air inlet, fan, or other means. It is to be understood that the term‘server appliance’ or ‘communications system’ as used herein may referto any type of structure comprising multiple servers (server blades) andrelated components and configured for mounting in an electric vehicle.

The electric vehicle based cloud data center 87 is managed by a serverappliance cloud manager 88. The server appliance cloud manager 88 maycomprise any number of components such as zone managers or regionalmanagers that may communicate with a central office. As shown in FIG. 8, one or more of the electric vehicles may also be in communication withthe server appliance cloud manager 88 through Wi-Fi 89 (e.g., outdoorWi-Fi or other access point (AP) in Wi-Fi network). Communications withthe cloud manager 88 or data transfer with another network may also beperformed during charging of the electric vehicle at an EV chargingdevice 81 a through power and data connection (FMP connection) 81 b orcharging station 10 (FIG. 1 ).

The server appliance cloud manager operates 88 in the electric vehiclebased cloud managed data center 87, which distributes data centerfunctions (e.g., collecting, storing, processing, distributing, orallowing access to data) to a plurality of servers (in server appliances86) located in a plurality of electric vehicles 12, 80. The electricvehicle based data center 87 may provide services including, forexample, data storage, data backup and recovery, data processing, datamanagement, data networking, and other services. The electric vehiclebased cloud managed data center 87 allocates resources (e.g.,processing, memory, local storage, services, network connectivity, orother computing resources) to the servers within the server appliances86 and may utilize, for example, virtual machines to move resourcesbetween servers, microservices for applications, orchestration to manageapplications, or any other virtualization tools or virtualizedinfrastructure that supports applications and workloads across thephysical servers and into a cloud environment. The electric vehiclebased cloud data center 87 may provide data functions to support andoperate as an enterprise data center, hyperscale data center, telecomdata center, managed services data center, or any other type of datacenter. The electric vehicle based data center 87 may include any numberof servers (e.g., 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, >10,000, or any othernumber of servers).

It is to be understood that the network shown in FIG. 8 is a simplifiedschematic and the network may include any number of server appliances 86located in any number of electric vehicles 12, 80 in wirelesscommunication over any number of cell towers 84, Wi-Fi networks 89, orother wireless communication stations. Furthermore, the electricvehicles 12, 80 shown in FIG. 8 are only examples and any type ofelectric vehicle may be used with one or more server appliancespositioned in any suitable location within the vehicle. The serverappliance 86 may also be configured such that servers or serverappliances may be easily added or removed depending on spaceavailability within the electric vehicle for applications such as thetruck 12 in which available space may vary depending on the usage. Apower and data connector may be positioned at a charging port forreceiving power and data from the EV charging device 81 a at connection81 b on EV 80 or at contact plate 19 at EV 12, as described above.

While an example of a EV data center comprising a plurality of electricvehicles in wireless communication is described above with respect toFIG. 8 , it is to be understood that the server appliance located in theelectric vehicle may only communicate with one or more stationarynetworks during charging as described below, or may communicate withboth the EV mobile data center and communicate with one or more networksduring charging.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a device 90 (e.g., power system and/orcommunications system installed at electric vehicle or charging station)that may be used to implement one or more embodiments described herein.In one or more embodiments, the device 90 is a programmable machine thatmay be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof.The device 90 includes hardware/processor 92, memory (local or cloudstorage) 93, wireless interface 94, software 95 (e.g., controller,authentication software, logic, microprocessor), and power and datainterface 99.

Storage 93 may be a volatile memory or non-volatile storage, whichstores various applications, operating systems, modules, and data forexecution and use by the processor 92. The device 91 may include anynumber of memory components.

Logic (software, firmware, control logic, code) may be encoded in one ormore tangible media for execution by the processor 92. For example, theprocessor 92 may execute codes stored in a computer-readable medium suchas memory 93. The computer-readable medium may be, for example,electronic (e.g., RAM (random access memory), ROM (read-only memory),EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory)), magnetic, optical(e.g., CD, DVD), electromagnetic, semiconductor technology, or any othersuitable medium. In one example, the computer-readable medium comprisesa non-transitory computer-readable medium. The device 91 may include anynumber of processors 92 or microprocessors. In one or more embodiments,components of the device 91 may be configured to implement processesdescribed below with respect to flowchart of FIG. 13 .

The device 91 includes one or more power and data interface 99 toprovide power to the components from the electric vehicle battery orpower system. Power may be delivered directly from the battery or may bemodified for delivery as FMP or PoE as described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the device 91 may include one or more components toaddress security. For example, the device 91 may include acommunications module 96 comprising one or more security features,hardware/software trust authentication module 97, and a tamper resistantdevice or mechanism 98, described below with respect to FIG. 10 .

It is to be understood that the device 91 shown in FIG. 9 and describedabove is only an example and that different configurations of devices(with more or fewer components) may be used. For example, the device 91may further include any suitable combination of hardware, software,algorithms, processors, devices, components, or elements operable tofacilitate the capabilities described herein.

As previously noted with respect to FIG. 9 , the system may includephysical security means that prevent a security breach or tampering withthe system. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a security system that maybe included to prevent tampering with one or more power orcommunications components of the EV. As shown in FIG. 10 , one or morecomponents (e.g., battery/power components 104, cellular or Wi-Fi module105, server blades 106, router 108) may be located in one or more securecontainers (housing) 100. While various components are shown within onecontainer 100 in FIG. 10 , it is to be understood that componentspositioned in different locations within the EV or requiring differentlevels of security may be placed in different containers. As shown inFIG. 10 , the secure container 100 is accessed by an access box (lock)102. The access box 102 may require a key 103 a, 103 b (e.g., code,thumb print, key card, biometrics and a key, and the like) to open thecontainer (e.g., lift cover 101 to access components within the securehousing 100). Physical access restriction may include the hinged cover101 and software-actuated latch (access box 102) or other means toensure system components may only be accessed with proper authorization.Tamper resistance measures may include frangible tapes on container 100or component housing seams, unique tamper-proof fasteners to detersystem intrusion, or software interlocks with the system housing todetect housing removal or intrusions.

As shown in the example of FIG. 10 , one or more different types of keysmay be used to provide different levels of access to the components(e.g., at access box 102 or individual security elements 107, which mayinclude hardware, software, or a combination thereof). For example, anowner key 103 a may allow a user to perform limited updates or changesto the components, while a maintenance key (or combination of owner keyand maintenance key) may allow maintenance personnel to perform adifferent level of updates or replacement of components. Another levelof security 107 (hardware or software) may be placed on one or morecommunications components, for example.

Security measures may be used in tandem with various systemaccessibility modes including but not limited to “vehicle owner”,“maintenance personnel”, and “system replacement”. For an “owner” mode,system modifications such as adding a new personal device (e.g., asmartphone) to the network may require the proximity of or insertion ofthe unique owner's car key 103 into the access box 102, or positioningof the key near a location on the dashboard to allow the mobile deviceinclusion. The term “key” as used herein may include a biometric device(e.g., fingerprint scanner, facial recognition) to be used on its own orin tandem with a physical key (e.g., key card) to validate a useridentity. For the “maintenance personnel” mode, in addition to the key103 a (e.g., key card and biometric sensing), the maintenance key 103 bmay be required to allow further system access, such as to allow directcomponent testing and diagnostics. The “system replacement” mode may beused when whole or major system sub-components need to be replaced.Further security measures may need to be invoked to support removal andreplacement of select components or actions (e.g., MAC address-relateditems).

In one or more embodiments, a physical security state may becommunicated to a management device or controller. If tampering with thesystem is identified, the server may shut down or not boot and a warningmessage may be generated. A key may also be required with userauthentication. As described below, additional security including trustand authentication may be performed between system components or betweenthe charging station and the electric vehicle.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating interfaces between an EVcharging device (charging station) 140 and a power system (batterycharging unit, power device, power distribution system) 142 andcommunications system (server appliance, communications device,server/data communications components) 143 at an electric vehicle 144,in accordance with one embodiment.

In one or more embodiments, an electric vehicle system comprises thepower system 142 for charging a battery 167 installed in the electricvehicle 144 and a contact plate 163 for positioning on an exteriorsurface of the electric vehicle and transmitting power to the powersystem (FIG. 11 ). As previously described with respect to FIG. 1 , thecontact plate 19 is configured for receiving pulse power (e.g.,single-phase 16 or multi-phase 16 a, 16 b, 16 c) comprising a pluralityof high voltage pulses 18 b with safety testing between high voltagepulses, directly from the charging plate 35 (FIG. 3 ) coupled to thecharging arm 34 at the charging station and transmitting the pulse powerto the power system.

While the power system 142 and the communications system 143 areschematically shown as individual devices, the systems may be combinedand one or more components shared (e.g., FMP TX, FMP RX, communicationsor authentication module). For example, reference to the communicationssystem 143 transmitting or receiving data to or from the power system142 may comprise transmitting or receiving data directly to or from abi-directional power and data connector at the power system. Also, asdescribed below, the power system 142 and communications system 143 areboth configured for transmitting or receiving FMP comprising both powerand data. Thus, it is to be understood that while the power system'sprimary function is battery charging and power distribution, the powersystem also handles data communications. Similarly, while thecommunications system's primary function is server/data communications,it may also be configured to receive FMP (power and data) from the powersystem.

The EV charging device 140 may comprise the charging station describedabove. Power received at the EV charging device 140 may be, for example,utility AC (Alternating Current) power, or DC (Direct Current) power, orpower from a solar power system or wind power system (e.g., 380 VDC orother voltage). The EV charging device 140 may be coupled to a datasource (e.g., Internet or other data network). Received power and dataare combined and converted to Fault Managed Power (FMP) and transmittedto the power system 142 in the electric vehicle 144. The FMP may also bereceived from the power system 142 at the EV. The power system 142comprises a bi-directional FMP multi-drop system that allows the utilitypower, the EV battery, or other sources such as solar or regenerativemotor energy to power the EV systems. The embodiments described hereinallow for conversion of an entire EV power distribution system to FMP ina single pair or multi-pair system, thereby eliminating heavy wiring andallowing for the use of light gauge wire throughout the electricvehicle, while providing safety features. For example, the use of FMP(power and data with safety features) for all power systems from or tothe battery or utility power provides for safe interaction whenemergency personnel are responding to an electric vehicle incident.

The bi-directional FMP is coupled to the electric vehicle 144 at thepower system 142 through connection 145 (e.g., charging arm describedabove for contact with the EV contact plate 163 at the EV). In one ormore embodiments, connection 145 may also provide high speedcommunications over the bi-directional FMP distribution system, therebyallowing for higher speed downloading and uploading to and from the EVservers (at communications system 143) than provided using Wi-Fi orcellular. The power and data connection 145 may comprise, for example,two wires for a single-phase FMP system, six wires (three wire pairs)for three phase (multi-phase) FMP system, or any other number of wires(wire pairs) for any number of phases in a multi-phase system.

The power system 142 may power components at the communications system(server appliance) 43 using conventional power from the battery atconnection 146 or through a safer FMP connection 147. The power system142 may also include a data connection 148 or an FMP connection 149 tothe communications system 143 to provide high speed communicationsduring charging. It is to be understood that only one power connectiontype (146 or 147) and one data connection type (148 or 149) may beprovided between the power system 142 and the communications system 143.In another example, only one FMP (power and data) connection is providedbetween the power system 142 and communications system 143.

A trust and authentication system and method may be provided toauthenticate the fault managed power and FMP based communicationsthroughout the EV and EV mobile data center functions, thereby allowingfor a secure trust layer to ensure that the communications and chargingpower are all trusted. In one or more embodiments, trust andauthentication are provided at the EV charging device 140, power system142, and server data communications unit 143. The trust andauthentication system verifies proper FMP transmitter to FMP receiverinterfaces and connections allow only trusted devices to transmit orreceive FMP. In the charging system, trust and authentication may beused to prevent destruction of charging systems in public locations.

As previously noted, utility power or power from solar or wind systemsmay be used to provide power at the EV charging device 140. The blockdiagram in FIG. 11 illustrates utility AC power received at block 150 aand DC power received at block 150 b. These are only examples and thecharging unit 140 may be configured for receiving any type of usablepower from any source. For example, the bi-directional FMP may beconverted from or to power at mobile batteries or a stationary batterysystem. Power is input to power module 151, which may be configured toconvert AC power to DC power or convert DC power to AC power. The powermodule 151 transmits power to an FMP system comprising an FMPtransmitter (TX) 152 a and FMP receiver (RX) 152 b. Power and datareceived at FMP transmitter 152 a is converted to FMP and delivered to apower and data in/out connector (charging plate) 153 for transmittal tothe EV at connection 145. Power received at the power and data connector153 may also be transmitted to the FMP receiver 152 b and converted toDC power use by other systems.

Data (e.g., Internet data or other network data) is received andtransmitted at communications block 154. The data is provided to the FMPtransmitter 152 a for transmittal to the EV at the power and dataconnector 153. Data may also be received from the FMP receiver 152 b forupload to a network at the communications block 154. In the exampleshown in FIG. 11 , the communications block 154 is in communication witha trust and authentication module 155 for performing authenticationfunctions. The trust and authentication module 155 is in communicationwith an enable/disable block 156, which may shut down power and data atpower module 151, FMP TX 152 a, or FMP RX 152 b if authentication fails.

Power and data are received or transmitted at power and data in/outconnector (EV contact plates) 163, which is coupled to the EV chargingdevice 140 at connection 145. It is to be understood that the term“connector” as used herein may refer to a plug type connector or a platefor contact with a charging arm coupled to the EV charging device 140,as described above. The power system 142 includes an FMP systemcomprising an FMP transmitter 162 a, FMP receiver 162 b, communicationsblock 164, trust and authentication module 165, and enable/disable block166 as described above for the EV charging device 140. The trust andauthentication module 165 at the power system 142 is used to establishthat the power system and a valid EV charging device are directlyconnected without any middle connection or invalid (unauthorized)charging system.

The FMP system is coupled to a battery charging circuit 168 through FMPblock 169, which converts the FMP to power suitable for the batterycharging circuit. One or more EV batteries 167 are charged by thebattery charging circuit 168. As previously described, the power system142 may transmit power directly from the battery charging circuit 168 tothe communications system 143 on power line 146 or transmit FMP overline 147. Data may be transmitted directly from communications block 164to the communications system 143 over line 148 or data and power may betransmitted from the FMP system over line 149 in a multi-dropconfiguration.

The communications system includes a cellular module 176 and a Wi-Fimodule 178 in communication with a router 172. The router 172 is incommunication with one or more servers 170 (Server 1, Server 2, Server3, Server N). In one example, power and data are received from the powersystem 142 at connection 149 and power and communications are split at acommunications module 171 (FMP communications module) (FIGS. 6 and 7 ).The communications module 171 may transmit data at 1 GE-10 GE to therouter 172 and transmit power to power module 173, for example. Inanother example, the communications module receives data from the powersystem at connection 148. The communications module 171 may include abi-directional FMP connection with battery/FMP module 174. As previouslydescribed, the power system 142 may transmit battery power directly tothe battery at line 146 or the communications system 143 may include anFMP receiver 177 for receiving FMP (power and data) at line 147. Thecommunications system 143 also includes a trust and authenticationmodule 175 to provide authentication with the power system 142 beforedata transfer is permitted.

FIG. 12 illustrates details of power distribution to electricalcomponents in the electric vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment.The FMP power system described above with respect to FIG. 11 may be usedto power electrical components installed in the electric vehicle. In oneor more embodiments, an electrical components device 123 includes an FMPtransmitter 132 a, FMP receiver 132 b, communications module 134, trustand authentication module 135, and enable/disable block 136 aspreviously described with respect to the power system. It may be notedthat the receiver block 132 b at the electrical components device 123may be configured only as a data receiver since power is onlytransmitted to the electrical components and not received therefrom, butthe communication functions are still needed for data received over FMP.The electrical components device 123 transmits power and bi-directionalcommunications to power electronic components at the EV.

In one example, single pair FMP is used to transmit power andbi-directional communications to various electrical components at theEV. The single pair FMP may comprise low power multi-drop FMP and up to10 GE data communications over the FMP lines, for example. In theexample shown in FIG. 12 , the single pair FMP is converted to SinglePair Ethernet (SPE) at conversion unit 128. In one example, the SPEcomprises 90 watt to 300 watt power and 1-10 GE data. The system mayinclude, for example, a rear PoE unit 122, an instrument panel PoE unit124, and a front PoE unit 126, each providing power and data through SPEto a group of electrical components. In one example, the rear PoE unit122 is in communication with doors, an mmWave (millimeter wave) device,rear brakes, lights, windows, and trunk. The instrument panel PoE unit124 is in communication with GPS (Global Positioning System), screens,gauges, radio, and heater. The front PoE unit 126 is in communicationwith an mmWave device, lights, steering, brakes, transmission, anddoors. These electrical components may be on the same network as thecloud data center and include trust components or may be on a separatenetwork. In one or more embodiments, the electrical components SPEnetwork may be isolated at components 122, 124, 126 to prevent attack ofthe EV communications system. It is to be understood that the electricalcomponents shown in the SPE network of FIG. 12 are only examples andfewer components, additional components, or different electricalcomponents may be powered and controlled by the FMP system describedherein.

The systems shown in FIGS. 11-12 may transfer power, data, or power anddata on any suitable connection, including, for example, single pairwire (e.g., single twisted pair, single balanced copper wire pair,single wire pair Ethernet) located in single pair cable (e.g., SPE,Base-T1 Ethernet) or multiple wire pairs located in a multi-pair cable(e.g., two-pair cable, four-pair cable, Base-T1 Ethernet), for example.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an overview of a process forcharging an electric vehicle using fault managed power, in accordancewith one embodiment. At step 138, the charging station identifies anincoming electric vehicle (FIGS. 1 and 13 ). This may be accomplished,for example, through cellular or Wi-Fi communications, GPS coordinates,sensors, or other means. The charging station may extend one or morecharging arms (and cleaning arms) (step 140). As previously described,alignment may be performed using sensors, switches, or any othersuitable means. Once the charging plate of the charging arm is incontact with the EV contact plate, a compatibility check may beperformed along with authentication between the charging station and EVpower system (step 142). The FMP may be shutoff at the charging stationand initiated upon identification of the EV entering the chargingstation or upon alignment and contact between the charging plate and EVcontact plate. In one or more embodiments, an FMP initialization processand safety check may be performed to verify proper contact between theplates to provide safe charging. As previously described, the FMPcomprises pulse power with fault sensing between high voltage pulses,therefore providing continuous safety checks throughout the chargingprocess (step 144). If compatibility or authentication is notsuccessfully performed or a fault is detected prior to or during thecharging process, the charging is immediately stopped. As previouslydescribed, the fault sensing provided in FMP allows for an unintentionalload to immediately stop all power delivery. As described above, datamay also be uploaded or downloaded during the charging process using thesame wires used to transmit power. Once charging is completed (step146), the charging arm (charging arms, cleaning arms) are retracted(step 148) and the EV may leave the charging station.

It is to be understood that the process shown in FIG. 13 is only anexample and that steps may be added, removed, combined, or modifiedwithout departing from the scope of the embodiments.

Although the systems, methods, and apparatus have been described inaccordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the artwill readily recognize that there could be variations made withoutdeparting from the scope of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description and shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a power source; and a moveable charging arm coupled to the power source and comprising a charging plate for contact with an electric vehicle having a contact plate; wherein the moveable charging arm is operable to transmit direct current pulse power with ground fault testing performed between high voltage pulses directly from the charging plate to the contact plate to charge one or more batteries at the electric vehicle.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ground fault testing comprises at least one of line-to-line and line-to-ground testing.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ground fault testing is performed, at initialization, at a first periodicity, and performed, during a subsequent operation, at a second periodicity that is longer than the first periodicity.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus employs auto-negotiation between power components.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the direct current pulse power comprises multi-phase pulse power.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the moveable charging arm comprises a plurality of charging plates for the multi-phase pulse power.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor for automatically positioning the moveable charging arm for contact with the contact plate.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning arm for cleaning the contact plate prior to contact with the moveable charging arm.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charging plate comprises a wear sensor.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second moveable charging arm for contact with a second electric vehicle contact plate positioned on an opposite side of the electric vehicle.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charging plate comprises a convex surface for contact with a contact area on the charging plate.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises a power converter for converting alternating current (AC) power to the direct current pulse power.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moveable charging arm transmits or receives communications along with the direct current pulse power.
 14. An electric vehicle system comprising: a power system for charging a battery installed in an electric vehicle; and a contact plate for positioning on an exterior surface of the electric vehicle and transmitting power to the power system; wherein the contact plate is configured for receiving pulse power comprising a plurality of high voltage pulses with ground fault safety testing between high voltage pulses of said plurality of high voltage pulses, and wherein the pulse power is applied from a charging plate coupled to a charging arm at a charging station and transmitting the pulse power to the power system.
 15. The electric vehicle system of claim 14, further comprising a communications system comprising a server and configured for receiving data from or transmitting the data to the power system for download or upload at the contact plate.
 16. The electric vehicle system of claim 15, further comprising a security system for preventing unauthorized access to one or more components of the power system or the communications system.
 17. The electric vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the pulse power comprises multi-phase pulse power.
 18. A method comprising: identifying an electric vehicle in a charging station; automatically positioning a charging arm in contact with a contact plate on an exterior surface of the electric vehicle; verifying compatibility of a power system at the electric vehicle with fault managed power; performing authentication between the charging station and the electric vehicle; and charging a battery at the electric vehicle with the fault managed power including ground fault safety testing between high voltage pulses of direct current pulse power.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting or receiving communications along with the direct current pulse power.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the fault managed power comprises multi-phase direct current (DC) pulse power. 